Team Chevelle banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

How much would you charge?

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 33 Posts
R

rianbechtold

· Registered
Joined
·
3,038 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey guys, I just finished up working on a car. The owner is a really good friend of mine and insists on paying more then just the cost of the parts. I honestly don't care because I worked on the car on my spare timeand it gave me something to do!

I was wondering what the normal going rate would be for the work (either in hours or dollars). I'm pondering two different options, charge her the true ammount of time I worked on it, or charge her half what a flat rate manual (or you guys) suggest would be the appropriate price. Here is all what I did:

On a 1987 BMW 325i w/2.5l L6
Replaced waterpump and radiator; flushed the cooling system. Replaced Rack and Pinion; flushed power steering system. Turned rotors (one was a little warped), cleaned brake components, rebuilt calipers, flushed brake lines, changed wear sensors. Changed gearbox oil and differential oil. Turn signal wiring had erratic flashing, traced it to three weak grounds. Replace fog light assemblies. Changed engine oil, oil filter and air filter. Replaced power steering, ac, and alternator belts. Replaced timing belt. Changed plugs and wires. Replaced leaking valve cover gasket. Fully detailed interior, trunk, and engine compartment. Fully detailed exterior (man that BMW paint cleans up NICE!)

So, what do you guys think?
Thanks!
 
#6 ·
What do you figure your time is worth per hour? How many hours did it take you?
Then go from there; I liked the above idea of donating it to a worthy cause if you don't want the money.
 
#7 ·
Going rate up here in Minn. Is $90.00 an hr to $110 per. Call the dealer an get a price on that kind of work to be done. say its your car. Then go from there.
 
#9 ·
Well if she is friend I wouldn't charge her or except money for the work you did. If she is friend she will find other ways to help you out to pay you back. What kind of talents does your friend have that you could use? Example computer whizz, painter, graphics designer...

Here is way you don't want to charge her.
Many years ago I worked on a friend’s car that I accepted money for and he got in an accident. Try to blame the accident on me because of the work I did on his car only to find out later he was trying to cover up a DUI. He even blamed me for the beer in his car. I did not drink. So when the cop interviewed me I set them straight...
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#10 ·
Get a ground up, jegs or summit catalog and tell her if she really wants to give you cash, and you feel funny accepting the money, have her get you a gift card from one of these places. jim
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#11 ·
My school teacher way back when said to either don't charge friends or charge 3 times the rate because of the hassle. that said, if she feels she needs to pay something leave it up to her. realize the age and value of the car too. she might have come to you to save money. Charging her what she would pay or close to it from a shop could turn a good friendship sour:(
my .02
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
bigdave said:
she might have come to you to save money. Charging her what she would pay or close to it from a shop could turn a good friendship sour:(
my .02
Click to expand...
That's exactly my problem. I keep telling her that all she needs to pay is the money for the parts but she wants to pay more.

I think I'm just going to tell her like $100 more then the cost of parts and then I'll give her a $101 dollar gift card to somewhere for Chirstmas, that'll teach her:D
 
#13 ·
if i gave up a weekend to do that much stuff, i'd be charging about $500.
hell, the detailing of the car alone is probably about $200 of that.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#14 ·
Geez your pretty sharp to do all of that maintance when you are only 19 years old.
I'm 22 and I wouldn't be able to do everything that you did.

I think it would be more than fair to make 3-400 for everthing. I would guess you spent most of the weekend doing everythig if not more. Shoot, I sure you have a few hours in just getting parts.

OR

Ask her to be friends with benefits??? lol j/k
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
bri2203 said:
Geez your pretty sharp to do all of that maintance when you are only 19 years old.
I'm 22 and I wouldn't be able to do everything that you did.

I think it would be more than fair to make 3-400 for everthing. I would guess you spent most of the weekend doing everythig if not more. Shoot, I sure you have a few hours in just getting parts.

OR

Ask her to be friends with benefits??? lol j/k
Click to expand...

Yea, the hardest part was finding the damn radiator! Talk about a pain:mad:

And to answer your suggestion, she's more of like a sister to me:yes:
 
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
Racing said:
Post picture of girl. :D
Click to expand...
Without this information, advice would be speculative, at best.

BUT,

I will say, if for even a moment, you gave any serious consideration to Jeff's suggestion, then it's a pretty safe bet that my recommendations would be moot.

It is important that you know that "faux" sisters can, and will, be a royal pain in the rear for most, or all, of the rest of your life..... Trust me, taking reasonable payment now will do much towards reducing future expectations, like; moving entire households of furniture, often, always upstairs and usually without any help; airport runs, but only if it is particularly inconvenient, the middle of the night or during rush hour. The guy that actually is screwing her will do all the rest; Commonly occuring incidents of disgust, plugged sewer, dead body removal, etc.... You get the picture... I hope, because it's real.

Seriously, she saved a bundle. Although she probably wouldn't have had it all done at once unless she's rolling in dough (in which case the answer is obvious), so it's safe to say, she doesn't expect to pay "market value" even if she did offer. Shop, labor and flat rate really don't apply, maybe for the sake of reference, she should be aware of what it would have cost her. The reality is, the job undoubtably took you longer than it would have professional and realistically, other than swapping a defective part at your convenience, you really can't provide any kind of warranty. Think timing belt breaks during a trip out of town. Beemers invariably bend valves. She'd be looking at a $1500 bill and you can't help her.

You've expressed your willingness to do it for nothing and her desire of payment. It's a matter of what figure, even in token terms, doesn't insult your effort or leave her walking funny. I would throwout something in the neighborhood of $400. If she is happy to pay it, then she'll really love what else it includes. Taking into consideration both of your personal interests, do something otherwise extraordinary.

Her friendship is obviously worth considerable effort on your part, go do something friendly together that would normally be frivolous or too expensive.

Oh, if she balks at $400, just take $200 and walk away. You can still go have some beers with "the guys".


Note to the "neighborhood watch" types sure to respond. Let me cut you off right here and now. I am aware that he's only 19. I'm not buying him beer just sharing my wisdom (or lack of). I'm confident in Ryans ability to make his own decision. I refuse to be a hypocrate in the name of political correctness. Our advice was solicited, so your welcome to your own, but leave mine the heck alone. I was actually living when I was 19 and from what I can remember, thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
#17 ·
Went thru my flat rate manual this morning and came up with 21.4 labor hours to do all the aforementioned work, without any parts and not counting detail work, if you did it in under that time, I am looking for a good mechanic ;) I would probably charge her half the flat rate time at say 50 bucks an hour, parts at cost and detailing make her pay for dinner, everybody is happy, If she went to a dealer out your way it could have cost her thousands! :yes:
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#19 ·
Tell her she can pay for a nice steak dinner for the two of you. That way you get something (steak always works for me), plus she is involved and it doesn't cost her a fortune.

Or post a picture of this girl and I can give better advice.

Jeff
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#20 ·
How about a different take on this. If she insists on paying you then tell her to pay you what she's comfortable with. That way she's happy paying, and your happy too. You didn't want anything so what she pays is gravy for you. She feels good for paying you something, and most important... good friendship remains intact. Of course future help from you maybe asked for, but what the heck, if she's like a sister to you, you want to help her anyway. This way everbodys happy.
 
1 - 20 of 33 Posts
About this Discussion
32 Replies
28 Participants
Last post:
138car
Team Chevelle
posts
5.3M
members
131K
Since
1998
A forum community dedicated to Chevrolet Chevelle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restorations, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Bench Racing Performance Engine Chevelle Tech Body Shop